


The Slumbering Woods

by orphan_account



Category: Princess Tutu
Genre: F/M, Fairy Tale Retellings, Fairy Tale Style
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-23
Updated: 2014-04-23
Packaged: 2018-01-20 13:17:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1511924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A retelling of the classic fairy tale "The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood", with elements of the ballet woven in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Slumbering Woods

Long ago in a distant land, there lived a knight and his wife. They were nobles of some rank and wealth, and so they wanted for nothing save that which their shared fortunes could not buy them: a child. Many things they tried - potions, prayers, pilgrimages to sacred waters, all that they could think of - but all were in vain. Advice was sought from all who might bestow it, yet all came to naught until a wise old woman told them to enlist the help of a good fairy. Fearing it was their last and only hope, the knight and his wife gained, after much searching, the audience of the Lilac Fairy. She was said not only to be the most powerful of the fairies in the land but also the kindest, and so her heart was moved by their tale and their tears when at last they spoke with her. She promised them that she would do all she could to see their wish fulfilled, and sent them home to await her help.

By and by it came to be that the lady bore a son, much to their everlasting joy. Preparations were made for his christening, and it was to be the finest celebration the people of their country had ever seen. They invited not only the Lilac Fairy who had made it possible, but also all of her brethren whom they could locate within their borders. All agreed to attend, and so it seemed destined to be an auspicious day for all.

When the joyous day finally dawned it gave no hint that anything was amiss; the sun rose high in a sky of pure blue, without any clouds to threaten the gathered guests with rain. Every person who had said they would be there to share in the proud parents' happiness arrived on time, and the christening ceremony went off without any difficulties. All assembled clapped when it was done and offered the knight and his wife congratulations on the birth of a healthy and happy son, before they moved indoors to enjoy the feast prepared by the kitchen staff.

At the meal's conclusion came the time for the presentation of gifts. The nobles who had been invited went first, with the fairies being saved for last as a gesture of honor, that theirs might be granted the spotlight and remembered best. Each noble family presented the infant with some sort of trinket, all of which were warmly received, and then it was time for the fairies to step forth and make their offerings.

The Fairy of the Crystal Fountain came first, moving in delicate, precise steps and clad in a gown reminiscent of shimmering waters, her dark hair like a waterfall over her shoulders. "My lord, my lady." She curtsied. "My gift to your child is that he will possess the wisdom and depth of the waters, to be as clever as clever can be, sharp of mind and wit."

They offered her their thanks for her fine gift, and then it was the turn of the next fairy. With golden hair flowing freely down her back and a sweet smile on her lovely face, the Fairy of the Enchanted Garden made her approach. "My lord, my lady, I bring to your child the gift of beauty, to be as perfectly handsome and fine to look upon as the most charming of flowers. He will never want for physical blessings."

This too was received with gratitude, and then it was time for the Fairy of the Woodland Glades to come forth. Tall and slender, with curly brown hair cut short like a pixie's, she glided forth and offered a deep bow to the parents and child in turn. "Gracious hosts, I give to your son the gift of dance. He will be as graceful and light on his feet as any woodland creature in my realm, and his dancing will be as beautiful as his appearance." She nodded in the direction of the Fairy of the Enchanted Garden, to make clear that their gifts were meant to go hand in hand and complement each other.

Once their appreciation for this blessing had been given, the Fairy of the Songbirds, an ethereal fairy clad in a gown that seemed to be made of fire, made her way forward. "Kind hosts, I bestow upon your son the gift of song. He will sing as beautifully as any nightingale, and always with nothing short of perfection."

After their thanks for this had been given the Fairy of the Golden Vine appeared. She was young in appearance, with short hair of a color reminiscent of the sea, yet she wore spectacles on her face, and seemed quite shy. Nevertheless, she found the courage to speak so that all could hear. "My lord, my lady, I give unto your child the gift of kindness. He will have a heart as soft and warm as the light upon a leaf, and seek to bring happiness to others."

The knight and his wife thanked her for her blessing, but lo! as she retreated into the crowd, a thunderclap echoed through the hall, drawing the attention of all gathered there. The Lilac Fairy was given no time to approach the newborn child before a massive grandfather clock with a carving of an owl atop it materialized in the center of the room. Every guest gasped, many in shock, and some in horror. The horrified ones had, you see, recognized the owl as a symbol of the wicked fairy Carabosse, and the faces of the knight and his wife paled as they realized their error too late to mend it. The popular belief was that Carabosse, not having been seen outside his tower in many a year, was either dead or under some dreadful enchantment, so they hadn't sought him out to invite him to the christening. Wicked though he was, it nevertheless was taboo to exclude him as well as unwise. An invitation would have placated his foul nature, but one had not been given and now they would face the consequences.

Powerless to stop it, they watched with dread as the massive clock opened to reveal Carabosse himself, who stepped into the hall accompanied by several of his mouse servants, all of whom skittered about the room and terrified many of the guests. As for Carabosse, he ignored the minor havoc his servants were creating and strode forth towards the child's cradle, a cruel smile upon his face and cold anger swirling in his eyes.

"My my! What an auspicious gathering this is!" His voice boomed through the halls, drowning out even the squeaking of his mice and the shrieking of the guests. "Such a pity that I, Carabosse, greatest of all fairies, was not invited… tell me, was it ill intent, or purposeful neglect, or merely foolishness that you chose to exclude me?"

"My - my lord," stammered the knight. "Please forgive us our oversight - truly, we did not mean you any insult! We believed, as many others did until this moment, that you had passed away some time ago, and would not be able to attend."

"Ha! A fine excuse, yet I am insulted all the same." His eyes gleamed with hatred. "Did you think to investigate the truth of the rumors? Did you wish to put forth the effort? No, no, no you did not. Did you honor the old ways of etiquette and deliver an invitation regardless, out of kindness and respect for the dead? No, no, no you did not. I say unto you that you have committed a grievous sin of manners, yes, yes, yes you did."

The knight quailed in the face of Carabosse's fury, as did his wife. "Please, my lord, I beg your pardon - we did not -"

"My pardon?" Carabosse's laughter rang out as loudly as the thunder that had accompanied his entrance. "Oh no, you will receive no pardon nor forgiveness from me! However…" His cruel gaze fell upon the cradle, and his eyes glinted with malice afresh. "Let it not be said that I am as ungracious as those who sought to exclude me. I shall still bestow a gift of my own upon the child, so as to be fair. He will not want for the blessing of Carabosse, no no."

This set the hall to murmuring anew, until finally the wicked fairy calmed the crowd and his servants alike with a glare that made them feel as though they had been petrified. The knight and his wife could not remain silent, however, and the lady spoke first. "P-please, my lord, that is not necessary… we could not ask…"

"Yes yes, that is the problem here: that you did not ask for my presence or my blessing." He turned his cold gaze upon her, and though she felt ready to faint under the brunt of his anger she nevertheless steeled herself and summoned all her strength that she might stare back unflinchingly. "But as I have told you, I will not allow it to be said that I am as ungenerous as you. Therefore…" He returned his gaze to the infant boy and extended a hand that he might point one aged and gnarled finger at him. "I give unto you the gift of the greatest of tragedies. Before the boy can reach adulthood, the day will come when he pricks his finger upon the end of a quill… and dies."

Then it was at the end of this grim pronunciation that a great hue and cry went up all over the hall. Loudest of all was the weeping of the parents, who had fallen to their knees and embraced each other in their grief. Carabosse watched with terrible pleasure in the scene he had created, before drowning out all with one last, wretchedly cruel laugh before summoning his servants to him and departing the way he had come, a final thunderclap signaling his exit.

In the midst of the chaos, the Lilac Fairy stepped forward. Clad in soft shades of white and purple, with accents of brilliant red and gold, and hair the pale green color of a dew-draped leaf piled atop her head, she was as lovely and striking as could be. Sorrow and hope alike shimmered in her wise eyes as she surveyed the distraught parents and their infant child, ignorant of all that had been given to him for good or ill.

"My lord, my lady, please calm yourselves and listen to me." Her voice was soft, but nonetheless caught the attention of all assembled, and a kind of hush fell over the guests. "For all hope is not lost - I have yet to bestow my gift upon the child." A great gasp was heard across the hall as this was realized and it was remembered that the Lilac Fairy had not been able to give her blessing before Carabosse's arrival. A fragile flame of hope glimmered in the tear-filled eyes of the parents as they stared up at her; her elegant hands found the lilac bloom tied round her neck with a simple ribbon as she regarded them in kind. "I fear that I have not the power within me to completely undo the wickedness that Carabosse has wrought here today, but I can lessen its power all the same."

She moved then to the side of the cradle, and bent her head to gaze down upon the boy. "The blessing that I give to this child is this: that when he pricks his finger upon a quill, he will fall down not dead, but asleep, and will slumber for a hundred years hence. At that time, he will be awakened by a girl of noble birth herself, who will advance forward with kindness and courage to see the spell broken."

Their thanks were profuse and their gratitude genuine, yet still his parents were of a mind to avoid the fulfillment of Carabosse's curse, if possible. Quills, therefore, were banned from their manor, and all guests henceforth were made to submit to an inspection before entering, to make certain they bore none with them. It also was decreed that any household that entertained the knight and his family were to lock up all quills before their arrival, and a trusted servant carried out a thorough check for them before they set foot inside the place. The activities of the young boy were carefully monitored, his travels about town restricted, and the writing instruments given to him when he came of an age to begin instruction in penmanship were greatly inferior and caused him much frustration at times. Yet he lived in ignorance that anything better existed, his parents careful to keep the existence of quills from him lest he learn of them and have his curiosity aroused to disastrous results.

Time passed, and almost before anyone knew it his sixteenth birthday drew near. In the laws and traditions of that land this signified adulthood, which Carabosse had decreed would not happen before his curse took effect. It had been a difficult and dangerous sixteen years, fraught with fear and peril, though their son scarcely knew of it as they had been careful to conceal their anxieties from him throughout his young life. It was with some relief that they arranged for a grand gala to celebrate this milestone, though they did not believe themselves capable of fully relaxing until the day had concluded and the exact hour of his birth had been passed, thus truly conferring full adulthood upon him.

True to the word of the other fairies, the infant boy had grown into a young man possessed of all the blessings they had bestowed upon him. He was handsome and wise, graceful and kind, and could sing and dance more wonderfully than any of his peers. But he was possessed also of a great curiosity, and it is that which proved his downfall in the end, as we will soon see.

On his birthday he found himself quite alone in the manor for a space of a few hours, save for those servants who were busily tending to their preparations for the evening's celebration. His parents had stepped out for a short time in order to meet with others who would be providing entertainment, and had given strict orders that he not leave the manor. He dutifully obeyed them, yet he found himself consumed by boredom and so he wandered the halls in search of some inspiration for a task or diversion to occupy himself with. At last in one of the upper floors his attention was caught. It seemed as though a stray duckling had found its way into the house somehow, and out of the kindness of his heart he decided that he would do the poor creature a favor and take it outside, that it might find its way back to its family and to food.

He beckoned and called to it, attempting to assure the small bird of his intent to help and that he meant it no harm, but it led him a merry chase around the halls and up the stairs, up up up, until at last it disappeared within an attic door he did not recall ever seeing before in all the years of his childhood. Despite a sense of foreboding his curiosity was piqued, and after only a moment of hesitation followed the duck into the doorway.

However, when he eased the door fully open with a loud _creak_ that seemed to echo throughout the entire household, the duckling was gone, as if it had been an illusion the entire time. And so it had been: it had been created by the elderly man seated at the desk at the center of the dusty old attic. As you might have guessed, the old man was none other than the wicked fairy Carabosse, but the young man had no way of knowing this, for he had beheld him only once, and only as an infant incapable of recalling later such an encounter.

Thus it was without fear that he approached the man as he scribbled something down on a sheet of paper, seemingly unmindful of his visitor, and spoke to him unhesitatingly. "Good sir, I hate to disturb you at your work, but have you seen a duckling hereabouts? It raced into this room before I could catch it and take it outside to reunite with its family."

Carabosse looked up from his work, and pretended to be wholly uninterested in the young man, though inside he was fair close to dancing with glee at the long-overdue fulfillment of his curse. "A duckling? What? No! I have seen no such creature, and would that I had not seen you and had my writing interrupted. Get thee gone at once!"

"Writing?" The young man found himself intrigued, as he was meant to, and drew nearer to the desk, having spied the strange instrument that the fairy wrote with. "But how are you writing with such a thing? And so neatly too? I have not had nearly so much luck with the tools I am given during my lessons."

"Have you not?" Still playing out his guise as an ordinary old man, Carabosse gave him a disdainful look. "What! have you never heard of a quill before, boy?" He held out his quill towards him, the sharp end aimed towards the young man's hand. "What a backwards household indeed if they have kept such modern tools from you!"

The young man shook his head, his gaze on the unfamiliar object in the man's hand. Thus it was that he missed the gleam of triumph in Carabosse's eyes as he reached out his own hand, his curiosity overwhelming him. "No, I have not."

"Then take it, and give it a try before you leave me to my work in peace."

The young man obeyed; or he would have, if the quill, by some design of Carabosse's or his own ignorance at how to handle such an object, had not touched the tip of his finger and pricked it, drawing a single drop of blood. He scarcely had time to frown in pain before his eyes grew heavy, and as the mingled blood and ink dripped onto the floor he fell too.

Onto the floor he would have landed, if the waiting arms of the Lilac Fairy had not been there to catch him. She met the outraged eyes of Carabosse with her own steely gaze, and spoke to him in ringing tones of reproach. "Begone! Your curse has now taken effect, but not as you intended. For your timing that day was to your detriment, allowing me to lessen its sting. Your work here is done; now leave this family in peace and do not interfere further, lest you face my full vengeance."

"Bah! you are as infuriating a meddler as ever!" Carabosse's eyes flashed with hatred, yet still he did as she commanded, for in the laws of the Fairies to do otherwise would be folly; and it is the last we shall see of him in this tale.

But even having banished Carabosse the Lilac Fairy's work was still not done. She carefully lifted the sleeping youth fully into her arms and bore him downstairs. His parents had returned by now and gave great cries of horror as they beheld their son, sleeping as though dead while the Lilac Fairy carried him.

"My good lord and lady, I entreat you to fear not," said the Lilac Fairy to the grieving parents. "As I promised sixteen years past at your son's christening, he perished not but instead sleeps, and will do so for the space of one hundred years. At the end of that time a young lady who is his equal will approach and awaken him, and break Carabosse's curse once and for all."

They were much relieved by her words, yet also saddened. They watched as she took him to the main hall and laid him in the center of it. It occurred to her then that the young man would be in a terrible confusion were he to wake alone in this great old place and so she laid her enchantment upon all in the household save for his parents, that they too should sleep for a hundred years so that when he woke he might have people to wait upon him and see to it that he did not want for food or any comforts. When she had completed this his saddened parents bid him farewell before leaving the manor and putting forth a proclamation that all were to stay away from it, that none should disturb the sleeping folk within.

This, however, proved unnecessary, for a final bit of magic from the Lilac Fairy ensured that none inside would come to harm before the hundred years had passed. A vast number of trees and foliage of all sorts sprang up outside, creating an impassable wall of brambles and bushes all round, and within the manor the young man himself was transformed into a tall oak tree, with all the members of the household likewise turned into lesser shrubs and plants. Nothing could be seen of the mansion from without save for the tops of the roof and the lone tower, and only then from a great distance.

Thenceforth a hundred years passed, and the story of the sleeping youth became obscure legend. Other families moved into the area and rose to power even as others diminished or moved out, and a great variety of rumors sprang up around the ensorcelled manor, as thick as the very woods that surrounded it.

So it was that one day a young lady from a noble family that had risen to power in the area over the past century came to have a picnic on the shores of a lake that offered one of the few views of the manor's roof. She was joined by two friends of hers and some members of her household, and as she finished her lunch finally spoke the question that had been on her mind since their arrival: what sort of building was it that she spied amongst the trees across the lake? What was hidden within the mysterious wood?

A different answer she received from all in attendance. One of her friends, an enthusiastic girl with hair of gold, declared that it was the home of a terrible ogre, who caught up local children and took them back to his mansion to eat them alive.

"No, that is wrong," objected her other friend, a girl with violet hair, who shook her head at this gruesome tale. "Tis a haunted wood! The house lies in ruins, and all manner of spirits and ghosts inhabit it!"

"Both of you are incorrect," declared a lofty young scholar who was the girl's distant cousin. He adjusted his spectacles and went on to explain: "The manor itself is in ruins, this is true, however it is frequented not by the dead, but by the living. To be more specific, witches and sorcerers use it as a place to hold their dark sabbaths under the light of the moon."

Still others objected with their own theories and on and on the arguments went until the young lady's tutor interjected with a story of his own. "My lady, if I may, allow me to offer up what I believe to be the true tale. My grandfather passed it down to me when I was but a child, and his father to him. The truth of the matter is that it was the home of a young man of noble birth, who was cursed to fall into an enchanted sleep for one hundred years, till a young lady who is his equal comes at the end of that time to awaken him."

"Oh, that is too silly, like something out of a child's tale!" said the girl with the golden hair. " _I_ think it is the ogre's lair!"

"No, it is haunted!" said the girl with violet hair, and the two of them quarreled merrily for some time over the matter; and all the while the young woman's thoughts were wholly occupied with the words of her tutor.

She had no way of knowing the words of the Lilac Fairy from so long ago, but the qualities she possessed were exactly those that had been foretold for the girl who would awaken the sleeping young man. She had both kindness and courage in equal measure, and wisdom too, and had no small amount of skill in dancing as well. She was also lively and curious, and though she did not sing she had other talents beside to make up for it, and was in all ways his equal. Great beauty was hers too: she had a very lovely and sweet face, with striking red hair of a vast length, eyes as blue as a cloudless summer sky, and a smile that was said to be brighter than the very sun. For her beauty and kind nature she was beloved by all who knew her, yet she remained unwed for now.

Her thoughts continued to dwell on the legend her tutor had regaled her with even after the picnic was packed up and everyone returned to their homes; and so it was that after dinner that evening when the sun had set and the moon was beginning to rise that she snuck out of her family's mansion, taking care not to make a sound that would alert anyone to her activities. She stole back to the shore of the lake, where she stood for some time and gazed at what she could see of the old manor roof. It was a clear night, the sky illuminated by the glow of not only the moon but a great many stars as well, and so she beheld it as easily as one could hope to under such conditions.

As she pondered what she might do to come closer to the ruins, she spied something moving towards her on the moonlit surface of the lake. Her heart quailed in fear but she did not run, and as it drew nearer she saw that it was a boat. Its sole occupant was none other than the Lilac Fairy herself. Her kind smile dispelled her fears in an instant, as did the warm greeting she received when the fairy disembarked. Summoning all her courage she greeted her in kind, and then asked her: what is the truth of the mansion I can see across the lake? She told her of the various rumors she had listened to earlier in the day, and beseeched her to tell her which of them was the real story, for she must know.

The Lilac Fairy smiled. "Young lady, as I feel you surely suspect already, your tutor's tale is the true one. Across the lake, in the heart of the woods and inside the mansion they contain, sleeps a young man who has rested there for one hundred years. If your interest in the secrets of the forest are true, I can bear you across the lake on my boat so that you may see for yourself."

"I do wish to, yes," she admitted. "However… is it truly all right if I am the one to discover him? I fear I am not worthy…"

The Lilac Fairy shook her head. "You need fear not. You are a fine young woman - yes, I have observed you before - and I believe you have what it takes to be the one to break this spell once and for all. If you wish it, I will ferry you to the entrance to the forest… however, that is all I can do, the rest you must accomplish on your own. Is this acceptable to you?"

There was only the slightest moment of hesitation before she spoke her assent, and then the Lilac Fairy took her hand and helped her into her boat. They rode in silence across the lake, the young woman left in utter awe by the beauty of the panorama around her of the moonlit lake and enchanting forest scenery. When they reached the far shore the Lilac Fairy, true to her word, remained behind in the boat as the young lady stepped onto the land, and told her that she must proceed alone from that point forward. Thanking her for the passage across the lake, the young woman turned and walked into the woods, gathering all her bravery as she did so.

It seemed quite an ordinary wood at first, but she did not have far to go before she came to the impassable wall of brambles and thorns that had barred the way for countless curious would-be explorers over the past hundred years. Yet for her, as though sensing her suitability or the end of the century or both, they parted to allow her safe passage, and she walked unhindered through a dark tunnel. She feared being pricked and scratched by the thorns, but they opened a way more than large enough for a small person such as herself to safely pass through, a fact that became clearer as her eyes adjusted further to the deeper darkness (for the light of the moon and stars was not so easily bestowed here in the heart of the forest).

After some time of walking she at last reached the entrance to the manor itself. A single touch of her hand was enough to cause the doors to swing open, as soundlessly as though their hinges had been oiled only the day before. She had little time to marvel over such a thing before the wonders of the manor's interior greeted her eyes. It was like a small forest in itself, with grass grown over the floors and rugs in odd, isolated places, and small trees and shrubs and bushes scattered around. She took care not to step on any patches of grass and also to avoid treading on any flowers or bumping into any other plants as she advanced towards the main hall. Starlight and moonlight poured in from the windows to light her way, and a few lamps that had been lit a hundred years prior still cast a soft glow on everything.

At the heart of this strange garden frozen in time was the greatest wonder of all. In the very center of the manor's main hall, an enormous oak tree rose up nearly to the high ceiling. In the dim light, at a distance, she could see that something strange marred its trunk; but as she came close she saw that it was not a strange thing, nor was it a marring of the wood. It was a face, the handsome face of a young man her own age, his eyes closed in peaceful sleep. How long she stared at him she did not know, but as she did a powerful infatuation with him grew in her heart, and she found herself reaching out one hand to touch his cheek.

No sooner had her fingertips brushed the bark than a wondrous thing happened. She saw first his face stir, though that seemed impossible, and then the tree dissolved into a column of white light that illuminated the whole of the room. When it cleared, the young man stood before her in his human form, and began to fall forward. She caught him in her arms, but the weight of someone so much taller and thus heavier than she was too much for her to hold up, and so she gently lowered him to the floor to sit beside her.

It was only then that he opened his eyes, and for a long moment they could only stare at each other, drinking in every detail of the other's appearance. She could see him as he truly was now that he was free and awake. The light brown color of his skin and the deep green of his eyes reminded her of the tree he'd been until a moment ago, and his long hair was as black as the night sky; he was even more handsome than he'd been when trapped inside the oak, and she blushed as she realized it. Her blush grew as she saw how he was looking at her: for she was the first person he had seen since waking from his hundred years of slumber, and he thought her the most beautiful girl he had ever had the fortune of meeting, a fact that showed in his eyes the more he gazed at her.

When at last they were able to speak they introduced themselves, and they talked for a very long time. And while they spoke the enchantment upon the rest of the folk in the mansion began to lift, and one by one all the plants, even the patches of grass, were transformed back into human form. As you see, it was a very good thing indeed that the young woman had been kind enough not to step on anyone! When the initial shock and joy of being freed from the spell passed all found that they were fair starving and in need of food, and so the kitchen servants immediately set about preparing a meal, a task made easier by the fact that the Lilac Fairy's magic had preserved also the contents of the larder.

It was proposed that a celebration of the spell's breaking be held then and there, and all would have had the young woman attend, but as much as she longed to do so she remembered that she mustn't cause her parents fear by still being absent at dawn. And so with great reluctance she parted from the young man and his household and returned to where the Lilac Fairy still waited by the lakeshore in her boat. Her way back was unhindered by any brambles, for the forest had been banished when the spell was broken, but her heart was heavy enough that she barely noticed.

She fell into sleep that night with his voice still echoing in her ears and dreamed many a pleasant dream of him, and when she woke his face hovered in her consciousness. Unbeknownst to her just yet, he had spent the whole of the night thinking also of her with the same yearning in his heart. She was soon to learn of it, however, for when she was partway through her lessons, a servant came in to inform her that she had a visitor waiting for her. Her heart leapt with joy and hope, and indeed, the young man she had awakened from his hundred years of slumber had come to see her.

Most versions of their tale say that they were married right away, but that is not quite true; they did not wait overlong, but they did spend some length of time becoming more deeply acquainted during his period of acclimation to the changed world he had awoken in, forming a bond of friendship and love before they wed. And so because of that connection they truly did live happily ever after.


End file.
